Zachary Fischer

Zak joined TIA in 2013 and teaches fellowship-level actuarial exams. He graduated from Brown University in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics, and he became a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) in 2014.

He began his career as a consulting actuary at Milliman Financial Risk Management in Chicago, IL, where his work primarily involved hedging variable annuity risk for life insurance companies. Zak now works as a senior associate for a small private equity firm. As a senior associate, Zak works on valuations for target acquisitions and sales of portfolio companies. ... read more

Before becoming an actuarial exam instructor, Zak was a teaching assistant for many different college classes, including Computational Probability and Statistics, Investments, Corporate Finance, and Discrete Structures in Mathematics.

Beyond Zak's passion for helping actuaries pass difficult fellowship track exams, he enjoys swimming and piano. Zak has also competed in the Chicago Triathlon for the past five summers. show less

Instructor

J. Eddie Smith IV

Eddie is the Director of SOA Exams at The Infinite Actuary and has helped thousands of rising actuaries prepare for their exams. He has been an instructor on the SOA's ILA track since 2007 and has an extensive background in life and annuity products. Before joining The Infinite Actuary full time in 2012, Eddie worked in a variety of actuarial areas, including asset-liability modeling, valuation, and experience studies.

Eddie currently serves on the SOA's Actuary of the Future Section council and formerly chaired the SOA's Technology Section. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in economics and holds a master's degree in economics from NC State University. After grad school, Eddie rapidly passed his exams and became a fellow in 2007. ... read more

Beyond Eddie's passion for helping actuaries pass difficult fellowship exams, he enjoys being a dad, fitness, reading, writing, travel, and watching college football. He lives with his wife and two children in Greenville, SC. show less

SOA Exam ILA LRM

Expanded Features

This is an on-demand intensive exam prep course for the SOA's Individual Life & Annuities Track - Life Risk Management Exam. When you register for this course you will gain access to the following items (except as noted) from the day you register for 6 months.

Comprehensive Course

Comprehensive video lessons (25+ hours) covering the entire syllabus that simplify complicated info into more understandable terms and illustrate important concepts through examples and graphics.

Online Discussion Forum

Active dedicated course forum loaded with existing questions and answers on syllabus material and past SOA exam questions. Instructors and our Support Team try to ensure everyone's questions are answered in a timely manner.?

Detailed Formula Sheet

Your instructor has created formula sheets for each reading as a quick reference guide for you. They cover each formula used in that reading giving details about the formulas and defining the variables.

Sample Exams

This course includes 3 sample exams with each question having a video solution walking you through the best way to solve it. These sample exams are created to give you a true sense of what you can expect exam day.

Detailed Study Manual

A detailed study manual covering all of the syllabus readings, along with examples and instructor commentary that simplifies difficult concepts and builds links to other readings on the syllabus.

Condensed Outlines

Condensed outlines for review and memorization. These condensed outlines are provided in addition to the full detailed study manual and video lesson handouts.

Exam Day Checklist & FAQ

You might be wondering -- what score is needed to pass? What do I need to bring to the exam? How should I approach reading period? This FAQ document answers these questions and more to help you know what to expect on exam day.

Past SOA Questions

Comprehensive spreadsheet listing of all past SOA questions relevant to the current syllabus including analysis of each problem.

Offline Videos

Take our videos with you everywhere you go and don't worry about a data cap or WiFi signal. Use our Learn app on iOS and Android to download lessons or solutions videos and have them right at your fingertips. ?

Variable Speed Playback

Watch our lessons and video solutions at your pace! When watching our videos on a desktop or our Learn App you can select the speed that makes the most sense for you. The variable speed increases all the way up to 2x.

Study Schedule

Built directly into the lessons, just enter the day you are going to start studying and select your exam day. We will then populate a suggested completion date for every lesson and the sample exams to have you on track to pass! This course also offers a downloadable spreadsheet version to customize yourself.

Flashcards

This course offers 440+ digital flashcards written in a "Q&A" style to facilitate recalling information for exam-oriented questions. They are available on your computer or via our Flashcards app on iOS and Android. The app will download all the flashcards for the course to your device so can study at a moments notice!

MP3 Lessons

Don't want to download the video lessons using our Learn App, but still have access to the lessons offline? We have you covered! Download the audio only versions of the videos and follow along with the instructor using the printable handouts. The MP3s will work in your MP3 player of choice.

Excellent Customer Service

You're never alone with The Infinite Actuary. Get help from your instructor and assistants in our online forum. Anything else you need help with, not related to the course material, just reach out to our customer service team and they will get your questions answered!

Free Extension

Life happens, and despite your hard work, you may fail an exam. If that happens to you, we offer one free 6 month extension for this online course. Once you activate your extension, you will have 6 months access to the entire course again. Learn more about our extension policy here. ?

What others are saying

I've used TIA for my first two FSA exams: LP & LRM, and two passes! Eddie injects his humor into the videos, making what can be a bland topic, dare I say, fun. He approaches the hard-to-grasp concepts from different angles to ensure retention. I highly recommend to actuarial students!

Eric Landau Actuarial Associate, New York Life

I used TIA to help me pass the three FSA exams on the ILA track. The online seminars provided an efficient way to study. The instructors are very knowledgeable and respond quickly to questions. I highly recommend TIA to anyone taking actuarial exams.

Beth Neas

I passed 2018 spring LRM exam!! I would want to thank you and all TIA staff for the great and knowledgeable videos and manuals. LRM is my second FSA exam and I have used TIA for my Life Pricing Exam and passed it on my first setting. What I like about TIA is it always gives a big picture for every topic. For the hundreds pages of the study material, it is very easy to get lost. However, following Zak's order of each study notes makes the material more sense to me. The most great part I like about the videos is that Zak provides the charts or graphs to make the material easy to understand. For the visualized persons like me, these graphs and charts are really helpful. Meanwhile, the explanation of the formulas is also phenomenal. Yujie

My sincere thanks to you, as I found out last week that I have passed the LRM Exam (leaving only the FAC in March for completion of my FSA requirements). Your services have been with me through all three of my FSA exams and have been an invaluable asset. Your voice, entertaining style and well organized videos have been a real highlight for me. I have also used your flashcards for all three exams and found them extremely helpful.Mikkel

I just got the results that I passed LRM on the first try. So far TIA and I are on a hot streak first time pass each time. Going with you again for the final ILA LFV, going for that third pass in a row. As always excellent products and I would only recommend yours to anyone who is serious about passing.David

I passed LRM! I wanted to reach out to thank you for all of your support this spring. I emailed you multiple times in the months leading up to the exam. You always responded promptly and very thoughtfully. Your answers helped me push through some of the more difficult material, and not get too bogged down in my studying.Malina

My company doesn't pay for online or in person seminars (only for traditional study manuals.) so, I had to pay for most of the seminar out of pocket. But it was SO worth it and I recommend it to everyone who is struggling learning the material on their own. I learned so much through listening to the videos. I'm an auditory learner, and loved the little snippets you added to the material to make it easier to remember.Lindi

I used TIA for the first time for this sitting, and I would highly recommend them. Their online seminar was helpful, and the online forum was invaluable. The instructors were very responsive and answered my questions directly with follow ups as needed. The manual itself contained enough examples to help balance out the fact that most of the LRM material is so new.Lisa

Want to thank you for all your hard work for all of the ILA track seminars! I am always impressed by how thorough, well-organized and engaging your videos are. I have kids, work full-time and my study time is often constrained by other responsibilities. Without your seminars I would have had a much tougher time passing. You have set such high standard with your online videos and I am so glad you are working on the ILA track!Denica

If I purchase a product, how often can I use it?

You can use it as many times as you want up for 6 months after purchase. If you feel that you are weak in a certain section of the syllabus, then watch the segment for that material again. If you want to simulate an intensive review seminar, watch the entire library of lessons for your exam over a four/five day span. It all depends on your preferences and we believe that it is this kind of convenience, coupled with the best instruction, which will produce great results for our users.

Can I have an extension if I do not take or if I fail the exam?

Yes! If you buy the seminar and don't pass or take the exam, then we give you access for a 2nd sitting for free. Even if the syllabus changes you still get a 2nd sitting (6 months of access) with all the updated lessons. See more information about this here.

I've used other sources and failed. Is there something unique in the online seminar that others haven't provided?

Absolutely. Every sitting we work with people from a variety of backgrounds. Some are taking the exam for the first time. Others are taking it again. In some cases they are using a free extension, while in other cases they are using TIA for the first time. Regardless, we have helped many, many people pass after failing in the past. The online seminar contains a wealth of TIA-unique material that you won't find anywhere else. We also have a general list of things to think about changing for your next attempt.

I am not taking the exam, but it looks like the syllabus contains a lot of information relevant to my job. Do people use the online seminar for non-exam purposes?

Yes. We increasingly see people do that very thing. The upper-level exams contain a lot of information relevant to people's work. Of course our products are developed first and foremost the goal of helping people pass the exam, and we don't make any guarantees that our own unique examples are relevant to your actual job and don't assume any responsibility for the application of formulas and methods outlined in the online seminar. But if you're looking for in the first principles and fundamental foundations, there is a great deal of useful information. If you are interested in using the online seminar for this purpose, we recommend contacting us with any questions you might have.

Are your pass rates above average?

Yes. As a company rule, we don't publish specific pass rates by seminar, however. We have found it to be too vulnerable to manipulation, too difficult to compare on an apples to apples basis across companies, and we also just don't think it is a very actionable piece of information. Everyone taking the exam is in a unique situation. Some have work experience. Some are taking it for the first time. Some are using multiple study aids. We also have increasing numbers of people who purchased the online seminar with for on the job training with no intention of taking the exam at all. Unless they notify us by email, we have no idea---but of course their name would never show up on a passing last. We also have many people who use the online seminar in overlapping exam periods. Again, we have found it it is just too difficult and too easy to manipulate a statistic like that, and we want to remain a resource that you can trust.

Can I share my account with others?

No, we do not allow sharing of accounts. Each registered user should take measure to avoid this as he or she has purchased the rights to our videos and associated bandwidth. If non-paying customers clog up our website traffic, it will negatively impact everyone. We also monitor login histories and have the authority to terminate user accounts for this type of abuse. While the gesture of sharing your account information with a friend or coworker may seem innocent, it can have far-reaching negative implications for you and other legitimate users.

The videos aren't working on my personal computer. What can I do?

You can try the suggestions listed here. Likely, these suggestions will solve the problem you are experiencing: (1) Try a different web browser. We suggest using Firefox for the best results with our website. Other browsers will work but make sure you are using the newest version of the browser. (2) Download the newest version of the movie player that you are using (Windows Media Player, Flash or QuickTime). (3) If one movie player does not work, try the other. (4) Test your bandwidth at the following site. Make sure it is at least 700kbps. Bandwidth Place | Internet Speed Test. (5) Clear the CACHE on your computer by clicking the "CTRL" and "F5" buttons at the same time. (6) Try clearing your browsers cookies. How to delete cookies. (7) Make sure your operating system has all its important updates. If you're on a Mac, run Software Update from your Apple menu (or Mac App Store if you're running OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion or newer). If you're on Windows, click the following link. Microsoft Windows Update. (8) If you are using third-party web browsers like Firefox, make sure you're running the latest version. (9) The previous suggestions should help. However, if you are still unable to open the videos please let customer service know what error message you receive and we will be happy to look further into your situation.

The videos will not play on my work PC. What can I do?

Usually, this is the result of your employer's network placing some restrictions in the company's firewall settings. You need to make sure that there is no block placed on the domain ( edgecastcdn.net ) from where our videos are streamed. Many employers will block sites like these to restrict video content from being streamed to their employee's PCs. Edgecast is a Content Delivery Network where we store all of our content. This network distributes our content to multiple servers all across the world so that if any one server goes down, there are plenty of backups in place. Websites like YouTube use their own CDNs and as a result, CDNs are not high on company's approved website lists. Feel free to call Tech Support (877-883-5275) if you need any further help.

Can I download the videos to my hard drive so that I can view them without an Internet connection?

Our videos are only viewable while logged in and connected to the Internet. While we realize the convenience of having all the files on your local drive, it also puts our company's assets at jeopardy. Our instructors spend hours upon hours creating the content for you. It would only take a few students, who illegally share their material with others, to discourage instructors from ever producing any more content. We do try to make our videos as accessible as possible by offering them in three different formats (Windows Media, Flash and QuickTime) and even through devices like the iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Given the global accessibility to the World Wide Web, we believe that the majority of the actuarial population will be able to view our videos without trouble. However, we do understand the need to study on the go and that internet access is not always accessible. You have two options: (1) Download the MP3 versions of the lessons and follow along in your notes. (2) Open the TIA site and let the video fully load before you leave, but do not press play. Just close the lid on your laptop and leave the browser open. When you are ready to watch the video just open the laptop and press play.

Why can I not download the PDFs? I always get an error message or an empty zip file.

Some computer networks are configured to not allow opening of zip files directly from an external site. Many of our downloadable files are in zip format. After clicking on the link, you should be given an option to either open or save the file. Try saving the file to your hard drive and then opening the zip file from there. You can also try right-clicking on the link and choosing the "Save Link As" option. If those do not work, then please contact customer service. They will determine if the link is incorrect or the file is missing from its proper location. At the minimum, they can email you the needed files so that you can move on with your studying.

Do I need to buy the study notes and textbooks on the syllabus, too?

We strongly recommend purchasing all source materials. This is simply because in our experience, people who read and reference the source materials in addition to using the online seminar have a higher chance of passing than those that don't. The online seminar is designed to make your use of the source materials much more efficient.

How can I obtain a student discount?

This course is not eligible for a student discount.

Can I purchase my next online seminar without knowing if I passed my last exam?

Yes. If you later find out that you didn't pass your last exam, simply email us at customerservice@theinfiniteactuary.com, and we will pause access to your new online seminar. This will preserve your new online seminar allowing you to study for your last exam again. When you are ready to resume the paused online seminar, just email us, and we will reactivate it. You will have access to all current materials (same as anyone else using the online seminar at that time).